Article View: comp.lang.misc
Article #3099Re: blip [Re: Dynamic typing -- To Have and Have Not
From: Jim Showalter
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 1991 21:40
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 1991 21:40
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2021 bytes
>The maximum reusability occurs in a system where every piece of
>functionality (you may call this "algorithm") is specified EXACTLY
>ONCE (i.e. there is no redundancy). This requires that every piece of
>code depends ONLY on the abstract interface of its arguments: for
>example, a sort routine would work on every collection whose elements
>understand < and =.
Agreed.
>Current type systems are too restricted to allow this, and so you end
>up duplicating functionality in many cases.
Disagreed. In Ada, for example, you can dynamically instantiate a
sort generic with the type and comparison desired, giving you a type
model that supports what you want to be able to do.
>However, in
>dynamically-typed languages such as Self you *can* write e.g. a sort
>routine which works for *every* kind of object which understands the
>comparison protocol.
And you can do this in Ada, too.
>Thus, if you design your system correctly, ideal reusability can be
>achieved *today* in an untyped language but not in any typed language I
>know of.
Ada.
>It can be achieved partially in languages with genericity.
Why only partially?
--
***** DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are my own. Duh. Like you'd
ever be able to find a company (or, for that matter, very many people) with
opinions like mine.
-- "When I want your opinion, I'll read it in your entrails."
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arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!vsi1!ubvax!igor!rutabaga!jlsReferences:
<22032@yunexus.YorkU.CA> <11820:Mar1923:59:3591@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <19MAR91.22493670@uc780.umd.edu> <18271:Mar2013:19:1091@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <1991Mar20.214231.3411@neon.Stanford.EDU>Show Full Headers
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!ames!vsi1!ubvax!igor!rutabaga!jls From: jls@rutabaga.Rational.COM (Jim Showalter) Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.object Subject: Re: blip [Re: Dynamic typing -- To Have and Have Not Message-ID: <jls.669591628@rutabaga> Date: 21 Mar 91 21:40:28 GMT References: <22032@yunexus.YorkU.CA> <11820:Mar1923:59:3591@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <19MAR91.22493670@uc780.umd.edu> <18271:Mar2013:19:1091@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <1991Mar20.214231.3411@neon.Stanford.EDU> Sender: news@Rational.COM Followup-To: comp.lang.misc Lines: 37